Friday, August 31, 2012

Media Convergence Essay

Joseph Sheehan, 41460219

Music Video Online

As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and the
popularity of accessing media content from various platforms grows, the
phenomenon of digital media convergence continues to be an important issue in
the contemporary world for many technological, social, cultural and economic
reasons.

Media convergence is described by Dwyer as “the process
whereby new technologies are accommodated by existing media and communication
industries and cultures”, referring to “the intersection of distinct media and
information technology systems that have previously been thought of as separate
and self-contained” (2010, 2), whether it is watching television on the home
computer, accessing the internet through the TV set, or listening to music on a
mobile phone.

However, there is more to digital media convergence than new
technologies and methods of accessing media content – the connections between
industries, producers and consumers are redefined and must be considered in new
ways (Jenkins 2004, 34). It can also lead to the appropriation of existing
media and industries as a result of new settings, especially online.

In contrast to previous models of media production, the
phenomenon of media convergence turns the passive user into an active one, with
today’s media production incorporating a more “bottom-up consumer-driven
process” (37). At the same time, corporations are learning how to exploit the
unification of different forms of media to increase revenue and connect with a
broader audience (37).

The music industry is one sector that has been affected by
media convergence, and this has impacted the accessibility of music video, the
content of the music video, and the concept of the music video as a form of
online marketing. According to Hildebrand, “television-computer convergence”
has been coming for quite some time (2007, 48). In the past decade,
developments in digital technology have caused a shift in consumer behaviours
and the way that television is received and watched – high-speed internet and
advances in computer memory have resulted in the growth of “internet video
distribution” (48).

Video sites such as YouTube reveal the acceleration of
spectatorial consumption (49), and indicate a larger trend of consumers
expecting content on-demand, fitting with Jenkins’ description of the user who
is active, rather than passive (37). Hildebrand states that the internet and
YouTube have “accelerated and exaggerated these expectations for availability”
(50). Furthermore, while previous passive consumers were “isolated individuals”,
new consumers are “socially connected” (Jenkins, 37), giving rise to the
phenomenon of the “viral video”, where a video is shared among internet users
at such a speed that its view count may rise into the millions overnight. This
is a clear example of Dwyer’s understanding of media convergence as existing
media accommodating new technologies – the internet serves as a new vehicle for
consumers to access music video.

How has this new accessibility changed the concept of the
music video, both as an art form and marketing device?

According to Dwyer, the “introduction and rapid diffusion of
digital media have brought about profound changes in the nature and
organisation of contemporary mediated communication”, with different forms of
media becoming increasingly available online and via mobile technology (6) –
the internet is Dwyer’s “new technology” which accommodates “existing media”
(2) As a result, the majority of people are now able to be constantly “plugged
in”, accessing music, video and other media from anywhere, at any time. Holt
argues that online video has become a major communicative tool (2011, 52), and
this has had a profound impact on the distribution and consumption of music.
Due to the new accessibility of music video through the internet, on sites such
as YouTube, music is experiencing “audiovisual convergence”, and video is
infiltrating all aspects of the music industry (50), and is taking on new and
extended functionality.

Music video allows consumers a highly visual experience with
their music, stretching the range of communication and adding a new layer of
sensory stimulation, adding a “visual dimension to music consumption” and
creating a narrative surrounding the music (52). Online accessibility is also
influencing the form of the music video – the parameters and rules of MTV are
being disregarded, and artists are producing long “cinematic song-videos”, such
as Telephone by Lady Gaga (2010),
which according to Holt resemble a “real cinematic experience of the artist and
the music” (52).

At a total length of almost ten minutes, the music in Telephone doesn’t begin until close to
the three-minute mark – the length of most mainstream pop songs. The video
follows the typical Hollywood convention of a three-act structure, with the
beginning establishing the setting and “characters”, the middle detailing most
of the action, and the end wrapping up the story. While many music videos
include or allude to a story or plot, the video for Telephone takes this further. The music is intermittent, broken up
by action scenes and dialogue, and there is even the inclusion of opening and
closing credits.

In this way, Lady Gaga has taken advantage of the internet
accommodating the existing media of the music video, and she has transformed
its traditional conventions in the online setting to create an appropriated
form. Holt’s concept of “audiovisual convergence” is expanded to incorporate
cinematic conventions.

The phenomenon of music video online has also extended to
economic factors. The function as a marketing tool which has always been the
undercurrent of music video is being used in new ways, in an environment where
the sharing of information is important for promotion (52). In this way, the
distribution of online video has become an important feature of music
promotion.

Holt argues that the music industry is “under pressure” to
provide online content to fans that is readily accessible (53). One of the main
factors contributing to the growth of audiovisual convergence is the need to be
noticed in a media-intense society (53), and music video online is an important
promotional tool for artists in the contemporary market. According Valler, Lady
Gaga is an artist who exploits opportunities for audiovisual convergence and
spreadability for economic purposes (2012). In this way, the internet is
Dwyer’s new technology, accommodated by the existing media industry of the
music business (2).

As we can see, digital media convergence can lead to the
appropriation of existing forms of media and industry, as they are accommodated
by new technologies. These new settings can lead to the transformation of media
and the way they are distributed. This is apparent with the phenomenon of music
video online, and has impacted the medium as an art form, economic tool as its
accessibility.

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Welcome to the Online Essay Blog for MAS110: Introduction to Digital Media Production students enrolled in Lab 9, Semester 2, 2012.

Student posts will examine a range of digital media productions, theories, themes, concepts and ideas within an academic context. Posts will refer to the MAS110 lecture series, class reader and make links with wider research in the field.

MAS110 is a first year subject for B. Arts (Media) students at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.